Proof Climate Change is Real, Unfair, and Doesn't Care Who's at Fault

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/typhoon-haiyan-climate-change_n_4269640.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Youth4Nature Pays It Forward

As part of our PAY-IT-FORWARD action plan to the community, Youth4Nature in partnership with other community key players, the Municipal Government of Bongao, WWF-Philippines, the academe and the Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi, celebrated Environmental Holidays as avenues to raise awareness on climate change and the importance of caring for the environment. 

The Month of MAY in the Philippines is the Month of the Ocean.
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To create awareness of the water and the marine resources that are a source of food and livelihood of the nation's fishermen, the Philippine National Month of the Ocean is celebrated annually in May. The theme for this year is "Ang Bahura Ay Kagubatan Sa Karagatan, Ating Pangalagaan." (The Coral Reef is the Forest of the Ocean, We should care for it)

As part of the volunteers' pay-it-forward community activities, we conducted Community IEC (Information and Education Campaigns) Caravan to raise awareness on climate change adaptation, solid waste management and the importance of caring for the environment. We visited the coastal communities of Barangay (Village) Pasiagan and the Bajau Community in Kasulutan, Barangay Simandagit.  

Y4N Science High School youth volunteer Kim conducted the peer education on environmental conservation

In Pasiagan, the volunteers conducted a peer education to the youths of the village on the objectives of Youth4Nature and how we, as a community, can help one another to protect and conserve our environment. 

Y4N Notre Dame youth volunteer Nica conducted an informal lecture on solid waste management to school children of Bajau Village in Kasulutan, Barangay Simandagit 

In Barangay Simandagit, our participants were school children of the Bajau Village Community who eagerly participated in this fun-filled IEC with our youth volunteers.  The Bajaus are a community of settlers on houses on stilts in the coastal areas where garbage disposals pose a problem for health and sanitation in the community.

To celebrate WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, the Youth4Nature together with the Bongao Municipal Government and the Vice Mayor as our boatman and tour guide, brought us for an Eco Tour to Barangay Lapid-Lapid's community-managed Mangrove Forest, a protected area by the community for more than 25 years. 

raw video footage of the eco tour 

During the bumpy speed boat ride to Barangay Lapid-Lapid. No rain or big waves could stop the fun and learning experience of this Eco-Tour

The outgoing and incumbent Vice Mayor (Deputy Mayor) of the Municipality of Bongao led the Y4N core group to Barangay Lapid-Lapid (Barangay is Village), one of Tawi-Tawi's community-managed and protected lush Mangrove Forest. The objectives of this Eco-Tour were to learn the best practices of the community in Lapid-Lapid on environmental protection and for our youth leaders to actually see the potential of Tawi-Tawi in ecological conservation.  To draw out inspiration that a community working together can make possibilities for the future of our environment.  Realizing the importance of mangrove forest as shield to coastal communities to lessen if not mitigate the impact of sea level rise and tidal waves to the coastal settlers, our youth volunteers  were inspired to imitate the idea by organizing tree planting campaigns in their communities starting off in their school campuses.

Lush Greens, A Community-Managed Mangrove Forest in Barangay Lapid-Lapid, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

The Bongao Municipal Government sponsored a training and workshop on Ecological Solid Waste Management to the core group volunteers of Youth4Nature who will in turn organize their very own action plan in their respective communities on Solid Waste Management including information and education campaigns

The Core Group have drafted out their next pay-it-forward action plan to implement their own information and education campaigns on solid waste management and the preservation of our natural resources.

Looking forward to more community activities!

ZERO Creates Community Solution Possibilities

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Terri Gonzales was born and raised on this tiny island of Bongao (pronounced Bung-gao), Province of Tawi-Tawi in the southernmost part of the Philippines.  Terri grew up in a community with no constant electricity and their only source of drinking water has always been the rain.  It is the only gift of nature that has always been constant in their lives as a coastal community.  

The capital island of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi (photo: M Terri Gonzales)

"In 2010, the United Nations declared safe and clean drinking water a human right "essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights." 

The Philippines, in the age of wifi connection, does not even target 100 percent access to safe water – the commitment is merely to halve the number of those without access by 2015, aiming for an access rate of 86.5%." (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/267109/news/specialreports)

The United Nations has declared over the recent years that internet is a basic human right, but in this part of the world, electricity in most island municipalities is still a dream, and computers are luxuries not many can afford. 

Tawi-Tawi is a province of 11 island municipalities in the southernmost frontier of the Philippines, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.  The National Anti-Poverty Commission tagged these island municipalities "waterless". It is also considered one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines.  

It may be such an irony to say at the very least that for a "water world" community, Tawi-Tawi is "waterless". 

In Sitangkai Municipality, electricity can only reach the 1km stretch floating market from 6pm-6am the rest of the communities would have to make do with the starlit sky at night.

However, Tawi-Tawi is very rich in natural resources.  Tawi-Tawi is one of the top producers of carrageenan in the country including the neighboring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also one of the centers of marine biodiversity in the world and is currently one of the focus areas of the Coral Triangle intervention in Southeast Asia.

Bongao Peak is one of the center of conservation effort in Tawi-Tawi (photo: Rodel Jocson)

Like any other communities around the globe, Tawi-Tawi faces degradation of its natural resources by the rising market for live seafood products and byproducts and exotic seafoods that endanger the coral reefs; illegal fishing practices; inappropriate solid-waste management practices; climate change and lack of education of the people in the community brought about by poverty, thus putting our lifeblood at risk.

As a community development team-player and environmental education advocate, Terri has reached the far flung areas in Tawi-Tawi, working for a non-governmental-non-profit organization and as the Information and Education Campaigns Officer of the Coastal Resources and Fisheries Conservation Project, she realizes the importance of Information and Education Campaigns on Environmental Conservation. 

 

Explaining the mission, vision and goal of Y4N, Community Solutions Program Leader, Terri Gonzales gave emphasis on passing on the knowledge and Paying it Forward to the community.

Information and Education are twin key aspects of conservation that are both practical and doable in addressing issues on environmental concerns.  Strengthened information and education campaigns can raise awareness and help locals prepare an adaptation plan for climate change and its adverse effects to coastal communities.  As a Community Solutions Program Leader, Terri believes that Information and Education will aid us in reviewing how we see the world and says that the best bet is not in actually changing it but in changing it eventually.  She says that influencing a positive attitude towards how we see the world is doable.

This is the inspiration for the birth of Youth4Nature.  

At ZERO budget and relying only on donations and support from concerned movers in the community to make this Project a reality, we hope to inspire, more and more people particularly the youth, to volunteer their time, skills, talents and efforts toward achieving one goal, that is to increase awareness on environmental conservation.  

Dr. Filemon G. Romero, Ph.D is my mentor in community development, an educator, environmental scientist and a true Tawi-Tawian spared his time to lecture on the biodiversity potential of our coastal community.

One of the biggest apprehensions one could ever have in starting a project is how to fund it.  Terri wanted to initiate a movement of change in the community and to prove that zero creates possibilities and that people can come together to do a common goal without counting the costs.  Youth4Nature did not receive monetary donations but we did receive contributions in kind and pooled together our time, skills, and expertise to realizing this project.  Where a former schoolmate donated t-shirts, another one donated pens and papers, local government units gave us the avenue to conduct our plan of action.  In an act of "bayanihan" from and with the community, Youth4Nature became a possibility to help encourage the youth to take part and be involved in the community's efforts to raise awareness on climate change, to educate and inform the people of the importance of caring for nature.

 

Y4N core volunteers during their training and workshop

Now, after our successful trainings and workshops for the Tawi-Tawi core group of volunteers in 3 different schools, we have 3 radio programs in 3 different community radio stations we have tied up with.  Some of our Y4N members and officers have volunteered to serve as watchdogs in the upcoming elections.  Some of them have volunteered in assisting the coral restoration project of the community together with other sectors and stakeholders.  We also initiated the biggest celebration of Earth Hour in Tawi-Tawi.  We are currently producing radio plugs, stingers and mini radio drama with the youth volunteers themselves as talents to promote our cause over the radio to be able to reach out to more people.  We are looking forward to getting registered as an official community-based environmental volunteer group for coastal communities with the Securities and Exchange Commission and eventually tie up with other recognized youth groups within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and maybe other provinces in the country. 

With these posibilities, Tawi-Tawi is no longer the only concentration of Youth4Nature but our pilot community at zero budget, proving true that things can definitely be done without costs, relying only in the spirit of "Bayanihan", of working together and helping one another. We envision to have more people participate in small environmental-related projects in different communities all over the Philippines, thus creating that ripple that would surely create those waves of change eventually, giving hope to a better future for our coastal communities and for people to actually care for nature.  

"Since returning home from United States to participate in the Community Solutions Program to implement my follow on project, I have realized that when you come up with a community solution, you just have to act as if what you are doing makes a difference, because it does, no matter how small it is. " - M.Terri Gonzales

Y4N Radio Program Stinger over 675khz DXGD AM Community Radio for Peace& Development

 

Y4N Mentors, THANK YOU

Thanks to the help and support of these people without whom this Youth4Nature Project would not have been possible.  To my former supervisor and mentor, Dr. Filemon G. Romero, for believing in me and vouching for this project to pan out, I am forever grateful.  To my friends and colleagues who have supported this project without counting the cost and for sharing not only your time but your skills and expertise, together, we can definitely create that ripple effect in our community in Tawi-Tawi.

With a grateful heart, Thank YOU.

 

Champion Environmentalist from Tawi-Tawi, a Scientist, Professor and Mentor, Dr. Filemon G. Romero Ph.D

Veteran Community Broadcast Journalist, Hja. Babylyn Kano Omar

She hides behind an avatar. She prefers it that way. She is a dear friend who has helped with all the technical aspects of Y4N Project, from Branding to converting files. She will establish Y4N soon in her own hometown.

From the Office of the Mayor, Information Education Campaigns Officer, Allen Pasaforte

From the Office of the Vice Governor, Liaison Officer, Mickey Guanieso

Tawi-Tawi Provincial Tourism Officer, Ms. Salve Pescadera

Tawi-Tawi Provincial Tourism Office Liaison Officer

Marine Battalion Landing Team 5, Community Officer, Lt. Trinidad

Y4N School Caravan 3: Notre Dame of Bongao Training and Workshop

As part of our goal increase awareness and encourage participation in community-based environmental conservation efforts, Youth4Nature initiated the Y4N Learn-Share-PayItForward Caravan among the youth leaders of our communities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Y4N School Caravan 2: MSU Science High School

As part of our goal increase awareness and encourage participation in community-based environmental conservation efforts, Youth4Nature initiated the Y4N Learn-Share-PayItForward Caravan among the youth leaders of our communities. 

Y4N School Caravan 1: Tawi-Tawi School of Arts and Trade Training and Workshop

As part of our goal increase awareness and encourage participation in community-based environmental conservation efforts, Youth4Nature initiated the Y4N Learn-Share-PayItForward Caravan among the youth leaders of our communities.  We kicked off this project at Tawi-Tawi School of Arts and Trade where we conducted a 2-day training and workshop on youth empowerment in environmental conservation.  They in return will conduct peer education and mini-projects in their own small community in campus, their homes and neighborhood.

Together as a Community We Can Make a Difference

On Earth Day 2013, we the youths of Tawi-Tawi together with the rest of the community joined hands together with the rest of the world to celebrate Earth Day, and getting involved to Save Mother Earth.  As Youth for Nature, we commit to share our time, efforts and abilities to promote preparedness to climate change and to increase environmental conservation awareness in the coastal communities of our Province in Tawi-Tawi, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. We understand that it is indeed a climb, but together, we can achieve it and we can make a difference.

Let's Precycle!

Let's Learn to PRECYCLE!

Precycling is how we can prevent recycling, when we can precycle we also prevent accumulating garbage in the future.

Here are some simple tips we can do in our own little way:

1. When buying things at the store, we can bring our own shopping bag or the clothe bags also known as tote bags to put our groceries.  This way, we can prevent recycling additional plastic bags, we're also reducing its use and we are recycling an existing one! how cool is that?

2. If we can buy lesser disposable items like shampoos in sachet and reuse old containers instead, we can prevent piling up more garbage. (tip for storing travel sized shampoos and liquid soaps: reuse old 50-100ml containers of hand sanitizers or rubbing alcohol to store your shampoo, liquid soap, lotion for light travel packing. This way you can avoid the disposable items, and stack them neatly in a reusable toiletry bag. isn't it cool?

3. Buy products in large quantities. This way we can put them in smaller reusable containers whenever we need them on the go. This way we use lesser containers.

4. If possible when buying products, we can look for the "recycle" logo in containers.  This is one way to help support recycling.

5. Read labels and ingredients.  Let's try to avoid using products that can harm animal life and poison the earth.

6. Buy products packed in containers we can reuse or recycle like jars.

Reuse It!

Instead of throwing things out, why not try to reuse it? By reusing items that might otherwise be disposed of as waste, we can reduce the mountains of trash collected and transported to our landfill.

REUSE Tips:

1. Bring a reusable coffee mug to work, instead of using disposable paper or plastic cups.
2. Reuse the back of bond papers for drafts, letters, and envelopes for shopping lists or messages for family members.
3. Bring your lunch in a reusable/washable bag or container.
4.Reuse glass jars of mayonnaise, peanut butter or Nata de Coco to store sugar, coffee, choco drink, salt or any other condiments, and plastic margarine, ice cream containers to store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. Kids you can also use these reusable containers for something artistic! Be Creative! :D
5. Choose plastic tableware and plates instead of paper, and reuse them whenever possible.
6. Instead of using plastic bags, why not bring a reusable clothe (or tote) bag when shopping or buying groceries?
7. For picnics or trips to the beach, prepare a picnic basket with reusable plates, cups, and utensils.
8. Reuse wrapping paper, bows, and gift boxes.